Atmospheric Environment 141 (2016) 20E29
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Atmospheric Environment 141 (2016) 20e29 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Atmospheric Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/atmosenv Trans-boundary aerosol transport during a winter haze episode in China revealed by ground-based Lidar and CALIPSO satellite * Kai Qin a, Lixin Wu a, , Man Sing Wong b, Husi Letu d, Mingyu Hu a, Hongmei Lang a, Shijie Sheng c, Jiyao Teng a, Xin Xiao a, Limei Yuan a a School of Environment Science and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China b Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong c Wuxi CAS Photonics Corporation, Wuxi, China d Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China highlights A trans-boundary transport of aerosols during a large-area haze episode in China during 3e5 January 2015 was investigated. Pollutants moving from Hebei, Henan, and Hubei probably contributed to the haze pollution in Shandong and Jiangsu. A considerable amount of total optical depth below 3 km (46% in average) was contributed by the external aerosol layers Haze transports from North China Plain to East China could be a common phenomenon influenced by the winter monsoon. article info abstract Article history: By employing PM2.5 observation data, ground-based lidar measurements, MODIS and CALIPSO satellite Received 28 January 2016 images, meteorological data, and back trajectories analysis, we investigate a trans-boundary transport of Received in revised form aerosols during a large-area haze episode in China during 3e5 January 2015. The ground-based lidar 30 May 2016 observations indicated similar episodes of external aerosols passing through and mixing into three East Accepted 16 June 2016 China cities. A considerable amount of total AOD below 3 km (46% in average) was contributed by the Available online 18 June 2016 external aerosol layers during passing over and importing. CALIPSO satellite observations of central and eastern China revealed a high altitude pollutant belt on January 3. Although the severest ground Keywords: Haze pollution was found in central and south-eastern Hebei, the high altitude pollution transport was greater in south-western Shandong, north-western Jiangsu, and north-western Anhui. These observations along PM2.5 Aerosol with the analysis of air mass trajectories and wind fields indicates pollutants moving from Hebei, Henan Lidar and Hubei probably contributed to the haze pollution in Shandong and Jiangsu. This study reveals haze CALIPSO transports from North China Plain to East China could be a common phenomenon influenced by the Trans-boundary transport winter monsoon in northern China. Hence, effective control of air pollution requires collaboration among different cities and provinces throughout China. The long-term measurements of aerosol vertical properties by ground-based lidar and CALIPSO are extremely valuable in quantifying the contributions of external factors and will be helpful in validating and improving various air quality models. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 1. Introduction adversely influences public health (Chen et al., 2013). In particular, prolonged regional haze events over large areas and high PM2.5 With the rapid industrialization and urbanization in China, (particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 mm in aero- increasing anthropogenic emissions (Zhang et al., 2012a) during the dynamics) concentration have occurred frequently during last decades have significantly caused serious air pollution that autumn and winter in recent years. In January 2013, China expe- rienced widespread haze with record-breaking PM2.5 affecting hundreds of millions of citizen and covering most parts of central and eastern China. In some heavily polluted areas of Beijing, the * Corresponding author. À3 highest instantaneous concentration of PM2.5 reached 1000 mgm E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Wu). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.06.042 1352-2310/© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). K. Qin et al. / Atmospheric Environment 141 (2016) 20e29 21 (Zhang et al., 2014), which caused wide concern for both the public the NASA global lidar network (MPLNET). It emits green light at and government agencies. Thereafter, many researchers studied the 532 nm with energy of 3e4 mJ at 532 nm and a pulse repetition rate physical, chemical, and optical properties of aerosol particles and of 2500 Hz. Its time resolution is 30-s and the vertical resolution is meteorological conditions to understand the causes of the severe 30 m. The zone of incomplete afterpulse correction (overlap area) is haze pollution in China (Che et al., 2014; Quan et al., 2014; Sun et al., approximately 120 m. A high-energy lidar system (model AGHJ-I- 2014; Tao et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2014a, 2014b,d; Wang et al., LIDAR), manufactured by Wuxi CAS Photonics Corporation, has 2014; Ji et al., 2014; Zhang et al., 2014). The main factors contrib- been operated at China Sensor Network Innovation Park (31.5 N, uting to the formation of recent regional haze are (a) high sec- 120.37 E, 10 m), Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, since 2011. In January ondary aerosol transformation from gaseous pollutants (Huang 2015, another AGHJ-I-LIDAR was installed at Fuzhou Environmental et al., 2014); (b) stable synoptic conditions with weak surface Information Center (26.09 N, 119.32 E, 15 m), Fuzhou City, Fujian wind, vertical temperature inversion, and low PBL (planetary Province, to conduct experimental observations. The AGHJ-I-LIDAR boundary layer) height (Wang et al., 2014e); and (c) trans-boundary also emits green light at 532 nm but with energy of 20 mJ and a regional transport (Zheng et al., 2015). pulse repetition rate of 20 Hz. Its time resolution is 1-min and the In September 2013, the China State Council announced the Air vertical resolution is 7.5 m. The overlap area is approximately Pollution Prevention Plan to reduce the PM2.5 level. This plan calls 300 m. For both MiniMPL and AGHJ-I-LIDAR, the raw measure- for urgent implementation of regional joint prevention and control ments with a high-temporal resolution were averaged in 5-min measures to address the air pollution crisis effectively. Hence, un- intervals to improve signal-to-noise ratio for deriving aerosol- derstanding the trans-boundary transport of pollutants during the extinction profiles by solving the lidar equation with a traditional haze episodes is especially important for regional joint mitigation Fernald algorithm (Fernald, 1984). More details about the data of air pollution in China. Wang et al. (2014a) used the NAQPMS processing of the two lidar systems can be found in Campbell et al. (Nested Air Quality Prediction Model System) to investigate the (2002) and Liu et al. (2007), respectively. contribution of BTH (Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei) and surrounding areas to regional PM2.5 distribution during 10e13 January 2013. 2.2. Satellite dataset They found the total transport contribution (trans-cluster transport outside BTH, plus inner transport inside BTH) was comparable to The MODIS aboard Terra and Aqua satellites pass China twice local emissions. Wang. et al. (2014c) used the MM5 (Mesoscale every day around 11:00 and 13:00 local time and capture data in 36 Modelling System Generation 5) and the CMAQ (Models-3/Com- spectral bands, ranging from 0.4 mm to 14.4 mm. MODIS true-colour munity Multiscale Air Quality) modelling system to quantify the images provide a synoptic view of the spatial extent of haze regional sources’ contributions to the extreme haze pollution in pollution (Tao et al., 2014). AOD (Aerosol optical depth) retrieved January 2013 over three cities in Hebei. Using an online mesoscale from MODIS spectra data has been widely used in climate and air haze forecasting model GRAPES-CUACE (Global/Regional Assimi- quality studies (Wong et al., 2010, 2011; Pappas et al., 2013; Li et al., lation and PrEdiction System and the Chinese Unified Atmospheric 2013; 2015; Bai et al., 2016). MODIS-Aqua true-colour images and Chemistry Environment), Jiang et al. (2015) showed that particulate AOD data during 3e5 January 2015 were used to obtain the spatial matter imports from Beijing environment were much higher than extent and intensity of this haze episode. the exports from the city during the severe haze episode on 6e7 In 2006, the CALIPSO satellite was launched in a sun- December 2013. synchronous polar orbit around the Earth as part of the “A-train” However, previous studies relied on air quality models only to constellation of Earth observing satellites. CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol simulate and evaluate the regional haze movement in China. Only a lidar with Orthogonal Polarization), loaded on CALIPSO, is a dual- few studies were based on direct observations. Lidar (light detec- wavelength (532 nm and 1064 nm), dual-polarization, elastic tion and ranging) technology, with the ability to detect aerosol backscatter lidar. One of the most distinct advantages of CALIPSO vertical properties, has proven to be a very effective tool in lidar detection is that it provides a direct measurement of the detecting and tracking the transport of dust (Huang et al., 2008), vertical structure and optical properties of aerosols at both regional volcanic plume (Revuelta et al., 2012), and wildfire smoke (Wu and global scales (Winker et al., 2007, 2009). Three types of images, et al., 2012; Cottle et al., 2014). Here, we report a trans-boundary including 532 nm TABC (total attenuated backscatter coefficient), transport during a haze episode in China in January 2015, using VFM (vertical feature masks), and AS (aerosol subtype), from the both ground-based lidar detections and CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol CALIPSO website (http://www-calipso.larc.nasa.gov/) were used in lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellite this study.